T&T: Anchoring and anchor watch

[Elliott Bray]

I usually am busy enough (or beginning to be of a certain age) that I don't
"push the position" button immediately. Often I am anchored and have a
reasonable amount of chain strung out before trying to set an anchor watch..

But not to worry..

I use the MOB feature of Nobeltec to mark my approximate anchor position. If
I remember to hit the button when I drop great. If not I correct later.

I then:
[1] create a range circle around that mark (Mark Properties)
[2] shrink the range circle to the what I think is the horizontal distance
to the anchor
    (I'll have to think more about the GPS-to-bow distance in my method, I
suspect it is offset by the distance lost due to the catenary formed by the
chain)
    by this time I have zoomed in significantly - enough that a 65' radius
circle is about half the screen
    I may or may not move the mark in the direction of the actual anchor (so
the edge of the range circle is over the green boat)
[3] Go off and do other things for awhile
[4] The MOB function has turned on the tracking function so after a while I
have a bunch of tracks on the screen which are beginning to describe an arc
around the anchor
[5] I will move the MOB mark and/or the radius of the range circle so that
the range circle and the arc of positions coincide
[6] More other things
[7] I will periodically check to see if the tracks (looks like an
etch-a-sketch gone crazy) are still within my comfort circle.  It is pretty
apparent if the anchor is dragging or just that the center of the range
circle isn't over the anchor.

All this doesn't take much time and I find the visual presentation very
helpful (and comforting).




****************
Elliott Bray
  wintering in Austin
M/V Letitia - Gulfstar 44 MC
  lounging in heated storage in Michigan
*************